The effects of ultraviolet radiation on some plastic detectors

Exposure to ultraviolet (U.V.) radiation could lead to the development of phototoxicity, photoallergy and enhancement of photocarcinogenesis (IRPA 1979). For the measurement of the dose of ultraviolet radiation harmful to human bodies, it is desirable to use a detector with a response curve similar to the human action spectra for erythema and for ultraviolet radiation. It is not easy to obtain a detector which satisfies the requirement unless a very complicated setup of spectrometer with suitable photodetectors is employed. For the purpose of measuring the personal dose, a passive type of detector is preferred. Davis et al (1976) has developed a detector using polysulphone for this purpose. The response curve shows a broad peak extending from 260 to 325 nm. Other detectors (spectrosonics, Partridge and Barton 1978, Fanslow et al 1983), which were developed for similar purposes, have a sharp peak around 280 to 320 nm. These response curves are not very good approximations to the human action spectrum which has a sharp cut-off at around 300 nm. They tend to overestimate the contribution on the long wavelength region (300-320 nm) of UV-B. The integrated response in the UV-B region could be twice the total area of the human action spectrum in the same region of wavelength. The irradiance of these long wavelengths is at least ten times that of the short wavelengths (less than 300 nm) in the solar spectrum. A search for materials with a better approximation than the three types of detectors mentioned above would be useful in the development of a more accurate dosimeter. In this paper, we will report our preliminary results on a new type of plastic material